Joker director Todd Phillips says his film is hitting back at woke culture ruining comedy. Phillips had a substantial resume as a comedy director, with the likes of The Hangover trilogy and Old School, prior to turning his sights toward the upcoming Joker.

The film is a definite departure for the 49-year-old filmmaker, who’d never previously made anything remotely to do with the comic book genre, and whose creative endeavors ensured that Joker wasn’t labelled a comic book movie. But if the Joaquin Phoenix-led origin story of Arthur Fleck’s journey to supervillain status has proved anything so far, it’s that there’s much success (and controversy) to be found in the tale of one of the most famous comic book villains of all time. Despite still having not been officially released (as of this writing), the film has been wowing critics and took home the Golden Lion at this past summer’s Venice Film Festival. And while much of the film’s acclaim has been due to Phoenix’s portrayal of its titular character, a good amount of intrigue has been the result of Joker’s ongoing controversy regarding its violence and the manner in which it’s handled.

So far, the lead up to the release of Joker has seen Warner Bros. make a public statement in defense of the film, as well as Phillips lament that the negative press directed at the film isn’t fair. With only days left before the Joker’s official release, Phillips is back in the news once more, this time to tell Vanity Fair that the film is his own personal attempt to hit back at the woke culture he claims has ruined comedy. Explaining that he didn’t feel that comedies worked anymore, Phillips said:

If it was irreverence that Phillips was looking for, it looks as though he certainly found more than enough of it with Joker. The film has set off a firestorm of controversy and criticism amidst its glowing reviews. For some, that quality is exactly what makes it objectionable, particularly since the 2012 mass shooting in Colorado during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises has lead some to believe Joker glorifies the same type of social outcast behavior that appeals to the mass shooter mindset. Whether or not this is true is certainly up for debate, but Phillips’ assertion that comedy has been ruined and that turning the comic book genre on its head was the next logical step is likely to be just as divisive and controversial as everything else that’s been attached to Joker thus far.

“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture. There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the fucking funny guys are like, ‘Fuck this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’ It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right? So you just go, ‘I’m out.’ I’m out, and you know what? With all my comedies—I think that what comedies in general all have in common—is they’re irreverent. So I go, ‘How do I do something irreverent, but fuck comedy? Oh I know, let’s take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.’ And so that’s really where that came from.”

In fact, some might argue that for Phillips to come out and say such a thing at this particular time is a little insensitive to those who fear another mass shooting. No one intentionally makes a film in order to provoke violence, but given that this is exactly what Joker is currently being accused of, it’s at the very least a matter of bad timing on the part of Phillips to align his film with any sort of social agenda or intent. At the same time however, it’s indeed a difficult time for comedy, and Phillips’ frustrations will surely reveal themselves in Joker’s dry take on Fleck’s attempts at the art form.

Next: Why Actors Take Playing Joker So Seriously

Source: Vanity Fair

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